Friday, July 31, 2009

Time for the county fair!

It's that time of year again! The fair is here, which means summer is almost over...of which I am still in complete denial! This year was so much fun with Holden. He understood in advance what the fair was, and talked for two weeks straight about "riding creecles" (motorcycles) with Colin and Cade, and "eatin' a corn dog." I was so happy when the day finally arrived so I could stop saying, "Soon, Holden" and say, "Yes, it's today!"
We went with Annie and the boys, and also our friend, Kim, who brought her sweet little girl, Lauren, and her nephew, Jay. Apparently, it was "green day" at the fair so Jay got his head sprayed green!:) Made him easy to keep track of.
I love this picture of our "stroller caravan" with every one's balloons.


Our first stop was in one of the agricultural buildings. They had baby pigs to pet and gave the kids some hilarious pig ears to wear. Lauren wasn't so sure about those pigs...they squealed REALLY LOUDLY! Holden kept saying, "Whatsa matter, oink-oinks??" There were also two tractors with a video simulation set up so the kids could pretend to drive. Holden surprised me by being scared to go on the big combine. I think it was the tall ladder you had to climb up. He settled for a small tractor and was perfectly content. Check out the hilarious picture in the top left of the collage! The kids latched on to this wooden cow and were all fighting over it!

Another building housed the rabbits and poultry. We saw all kinds of rabbits, from giant ones about the same size as Holden (seriously!) to little dwarf bunnies. There were some available for petting, and there were baby chicks which the kids really liked. I didn't get a picture of it (I know, shocking coming from the "camera lady!" Ha!) but my favorite memory is when Holden put his face up close to the turkey cage and it gobbled at him! He took off running down the aisle with a look of horror on his face! I am mean, but it was SO funny! I think a similar situation happened to Cade. Speaking of Cade, I love the sticker on the back of his shirt that says, "See me in the Barn!" Priceless.


Lunch time! We had the typical expensive, artery clogging fair foods, and it was so funny watching the kids eat. What cuties!

After lunch, we checked out some of the motor vehicles. Holden and Colin were really into that race car, despite their lovely expressions in the top left picture. It just cracked me up so I had to include it! I think they were more than sick of the cameras at this point! The three of them enjoyed climbing in the fire truck, too.

The petting zoo was set up just like last year. Do you remember that yak and its nasty tongue? Yep, now it is a tradition for me to snap its picture. Terrorizing kids at a county fair near you. Holden really liked feeding the goats this year and did a good job divvying out the food. Until an overly pushy one got a hold of his entire cup, yanked it out of his hand, and ate it. He freaked out after that and I had to help him feed the rest. You can see by his expression in the shots where I am holding him that he is a bit traumatized. :)

Just like last year, the pony rides were a big hit. He was a little more serious this year, but he has not stopped talking about them. I look forward to next year, when he hopefully will be able to ride without me walking around with him, dodging fresh doo doo!


Ahh, the good old fair rides! Holden was pumped for these this year. He loved riding with his buddy, Colin. Some of them just whipped their heads around like bobble heads, and he giggled the entire time. Poor little Cade was just a tad too short for the height requirements, and nobody would let him on anything. He stood there pointing at the rides and saying, "ME? ME?" It was SO sad! Finally a nice carnie lady (can you say "carnie" and "lady" together? I guess it was more like "carnie female") took pity on him and let him ride the very last ride the boys went on, which was a little boat. He could have fit with the other boys, but he wanted his very own boat and he wanted to be up front. Such a little daredevil! He was so happy to be on that ride.


A few more shots of our cute kids. They did have such a good time. It's fun to watch the world through their eyes. Remember when there was nothing better in the world than perching on a tiny plastic truck and letting it jerk you around a track? :)

Holden and Colin cried leaving the fair, and the first 5 min. in the van all I heard was Holden lamenting, "Wanna go BAAAACK!" over and over. By the time I got home, here was my view. We've had some cute sleepy balloon moments lately! :)

We head back tomorrow with Daddy and his family. It's wristband day, so he'll get to ride to his heart's content. (Jay, or Holden, do you ask? Well, both!) :)

Baby Kyle

We have a new cousin! Kyle James Mann was born on Wednesday (Aunt Allie's bday!) 2 weeks early, weighing 6lbs, 10 oz. We got to meet him last night, and he's absolutely precious. He looks a lot like his Daddy, Tim, who is Jay's cousin. Welcome to the world, Kyle!

Such a little punkin'. I love his peach-fuzz hair, and of course the Cardinals receiving blanket compliments him all the more. :)

Kyle with his Mommy and Daddy; Katie and Tim. Katie had a C-section since Mr. Kyle decided to lay sideways during the last few weeks in the womb. I was shocked to see her up and about, wearing clothes and changing his diaper when we arrived just a day later! She looks great, and I'm so glad she is feeling good.

Holden and Kyle's first close-up encounter; I don't think either of them were too sure about it! Holden was really shy around him and actually acted a little afraid of him after hearing him squeal! I don't think he's ever seen such a tiny baby. He has been talking nonstop about "Baby Kyle" prior to meeting him, and had picked out a toy truck for him. I think he was a little confused that THIS is the cousin everyone has been hyping up about how they can play together!? I explained he has to get a little bigger first. It was very cute when we were making our purchases at the mall, and I told Holden to put the truck on the counter to be checked out. The cashier took it and Holden gave her the evil eye and said, "Dat's Baby KYLE'S truck, NOT YOURS!" Fortunately she had a good sense of humor! :)

Working his new set of lungs. I think he was sad we were leaving. :)
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Bday lunch pics

We went to Bob Evans for Aunt Allie's bday lunch with Memaw and Great Grandma and Grandpa Kerber. Holden loved sitting in his booster seat by Aunt Allie....and then climbing out for a seated version of a piggy back ride!

Monkey see, monkey do!

He took his balloon to bed with him for nap time. I just snapped this shot of him sound asleep, still clutching it in his hand.

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Happy 14th birthday, Aunt Allie!

Dear Aunt Allie,
I hope you have a very happy birthday! Thanks for being such an awesome aunt to me. You always play fun games with me, push me on the swings, help me ride the carousel, go on walks with me, play at the park, babysit me, play your fun music for me that Daddy hates, teach me dance moves, ride the rides at Grady's with me, and even do the "choo choo eating" just so that I will eat something for Mommy.
I love you!!!
Love,
Holden

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Holden Jay @ 2 years

I have been wanting to do a post for awhile just focusing on Holden at age 2. I feel like he is growing soooo very quickly right in front of our eyes, and I want to capture the essence of him and bottle it up forever before he is all grown up and doesn't want me to kiss his boo boos and help him dig in the dirt. So here is a little peek into 2-year-old Holden.
Oh, do I love that grin! He flashes it quite a bit these days, as he is catching onto humor and loves to label something as "silly," including himself. He will trip over something and say, "Silly Holden!" He is starting to attempt to crack jokes, which are pretty lame at this point but also hysterical because he knows he is teasing you. The ultimate put-down in Holden language is for him to call you some type of tree. (?!) He'll giggle and say, "Mommy, you are a banana tree!" (or substitute apple tree, big tree, etc.) Or he'll call you a dinosaur or something. He loves when I yell, "No I'm NOT!" and put my hands on my hips. He dissolves into laughter and often rolls on the floor.

In typical boy fashion, he has boundless energy. I am sometimes amazed at it. If I just had an ounce! He loves the "great outdoors" and exploring. He collects rocks, sticks, coins, and other objects of interest. We frequent the many local parks, swim at the pool, walk on the trail, head to the Fransen Nature Trail down the road, and spend lots of time in our backyard as well as the neighbors' yards. He is getting SO FAST! When he takes off running, you'd better hope you have your running shoes on or something pretty good to entice him back with! I don't know how I'm not in better shape tagging along.

Holden is developing interests (aka obsessions at times! Ha!) that he is passionate about. He loves all things trucks, construction vehicles, motorcycles, and other motor vehicles, as well as pointing out airplanes, helicopters, and even hot air balloons in the sky. (We saw one landing near our home one night and now every time we pass Wild Berries restaurant with the big grounded balloon as an advertisement, he has to point it out to us.) This has been a great summer for him with all of the construction going on all around town. He's probably the only person THRILLED to be stopped on Main St., in Uptown Normal, etc. because he can sit and watch all the action. His major obsession is specifically with diggers, bulldozers, and "rollers" (the things that roll the pavement on the road) and he will yell their names at the top of his lungs if he spots them. It keeps him very busy on our drives! As you can see from the above collage, he is infatuated with the garbage truck. We sit and watch for it every Friday morning. The garbage man now knows us by sight and will smile and wave as he approaches. Besides vehicles, Holden also loves sports even though we are still working on hand-eye coordination! Ha! He has a little tennis racket and loves to have a ball thrown to him to attempt to hit. He enjoys using his tee-ball set, kicking his soccer ball, and we joke he will be a hockey player or a golfer because he can turn ANY household object into a stick to whack a ball on the ground with! He is taking swim lessons, which he loves except for going under the water. Something he'll have to get over! He adores his instructor, Lacy, and will talk about her even when we're not there. ("Is Lacy going nigh night? Does Lacy go to Holden's park?") He is very proud of kicking his legs in the water and blowing bubbles.


He is becoming a little mimic, which can be scary at times when we forget to watch what we say in front of him! He picks up on everything he sees and hears. The picture below is from a few days ago. He started lining up all of his garage toys very meticulously, then stood at the back and started saying, "beep! beep! beep!" I asked what he was doing and he said, "I'm the cart guy!" You know, the guy at the stores with the flashing light on his cart that hooks to the other carts to return them to the store. Great future goal, buddy! Ha! I thought it was pretty creative though. He is so serious in the picture!

One of the neatest experiences about watching Holden grow has been to see him cultivate relationships. He has several close friends that he talks about constantly and loves to get together with for play dates. Colin and Cade Cunningham (below) have been his fast friends since birth. (Well, Holden's birth when Colin was 2, and Cade's birth when Holden was 9 months old.) They shared the same babysitters for the past 2 years and act like Holden is their brother, too. Annie and I realized how much they are growing up when I was able to snap a picture of ALL THREE of them: in the same shot, smiling, and facing the same direction!! Ha! We seriously have 100's of pictures of the three of them without meeting all of that criteria.

Corinne and Natalie (or "Atalie" as he refers to her) are his best girl buddies, and he adores them. He is usually very gentle with them and loves to give them "huggies" and kisses. Now that he and Natalie are both in the toddler stage, they get into things together and sometimes spat over toys (mainly on Holden's end!) but they love playing together and he is the first one to be concerned if she is upset. I don't think he'd tolerate anyone else pushing her around!

We are so blessed to be in a neighborhood full of kids and friendly families. Holden's buddy, Brady, (on the swing with him) lives four doors down and they are like brothers. They are three months apart. We are very excited to have Brady's mom, Kam, watching Holden this fall! He also hangs out quite a bit with our new neighbor, Isabelle (top left with the lime green cast; she is wonderful with the younger kids and such a sweet girl), and Hannah and Gabe (top right), who keep him entertained and challenge him to do new things the "big kids" can do. He thinks he is hot stuff when they come over. I couldn't leave out Aunt Allie and cousin Chelsey. Allie is watching Chelsey Mon. and Tues. this summer, and Holden just loves them both so much. He is so excited on those mornings to wake up and go do something with them! They are wonderfully patient with him, and teach him lots of new things. (Mostly good! The vote is still out on Allie's rap music and dancing! Ha!)

Eating remains a challenge with my little buddy at this age. He is trying new things more readily than a year ago, but still has a lot of texture issues. I am proud of him for trying, although it is exasperating at times to attempt to cook healthy meals for him with such limited choices. It's not that he's being defiant; he has such a strong gag reflex and just really has a hard time with a lot of foods. Things he loves to eat right now are: mac n' cheese, chicken fingers, french fries (too bad they're not healthy; he'd eat them all day long!), corn dogs, popcorn chicken from Walmart, big pretzels (the kind you cook in the microwave; salt less so they're not too bad for him), waffles, and pancakes. He seems to like things that are firm (as opposed to squishy, like Jello) and that he can hold to eat. He also likes Gogurts because he can eat the yogurt out of them himself, and watermelon and apple slices are his fruit of choice. I have a very hard time getting any veggies in him. The kid loves his milk and juice; I think he'd go on a liquid diet if we let him! And of course cake and candy are not a problem for him, so he is a normal child! :) I still put liquid multi-vitamins that the Dr. recommended in his drink once a day. He is generally a very healthy child, albeit a string bean, so we don't worry too much. Below is one of his favorite treats that he does not get very often: a Gloria Jean's caramel chill WITHOUT the coffee, of course! Please! Like he needs any caffeine!

While he is mostly all boy, Holden does appear to be in touch with his feminine side! Ha! I have been able to capture several great future blackmail pictures of his antics. As I mentioned, he loves to mimic, and he is around me more than anyone else, hence the below collage. I did not put him up to any of these acts. What looks like a skirt is one of my long-sleeved pajama shirts that he tried to put on but couldn't get past his waist! Yes, those are bras around his neck, hung like medals, and he is using a Clorox wipe!!! Hahahahaha!!! Oh, and a little purse/sunglasses shopping at Shoe Karnival never hurt anyone, right?

Some cute or funny things he says and does right now are:

"dat" for that, and "duh" for the

"I wanna go see the fish and hee-haws!" when he wants to go to the nature park, which has a pond and donkeys

"Odor creecles!" for motorcycles. Not sure why the r got placed in there?

"I want to DOOT it!" when using his fork, from the time he was a baby, I'd help him put the food on it and I unknowingly made a little "doot! doot!" sound as I stabbed the food with it. For the longest time, he thought a fork was a "doot." Now when wanting to use the fork himself, this is what he says.

"Holden do it/Holden likes dat/Holden is a big boy/Dat's Holden's toy!" etc. Everything is in third person right now.

"I yuv you!" melts my heart every time.

"Dat is so CUTE!" which he says about animals and babies. Obviously I say this phrase a lot! Ha! He recently told me my eyes and hair were cute, and told Jay's dad, "Pepaw, dat shirt is cute!" Too funny.

"Holden is scared." when he hears thunder, sees a bug, or has to go to bed. It is cute and sad at the same time. He is finally able to verbalize that feeling. We are big suckers when he says it, too!

"Dere's a 'ODOZER!" translate: "There's a bulldozer!"

"I don't yike it!" Usually to new foods, but once to a scary tattooed guy at the store who thankfully didn't hear him say it! Ha!

"I DID IT!" said very proudly when he does something by himself, like take his shirt off, tackle a new climber at the playground, color a picture, put his crocs on, etc. He is getting very independent which is a good thing, but often slows us down since he wants to do EVERYTHING by himself.

He has a large vocabulary and picks up on new words daily. He is speaking in full sentences now and also likes to pretend to "read" his favorite books that he has memorized. It is just so neat to see him become a little person with feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

A couple of phrases we are not so proud of are "CRAP!" and "DANG IT!" :) Better than other words, I suppose, but still embarrassing when he announces them and uses them in context. Oops! We of course tell him these are not nice word choices but sometimes they slip out anyway. His first cuss word was the "s" word, and I don't mean "stupid!" It slipped out of both of our mouths in front of him when a deer ran in front of our car. Fortunately, I was able to explain to him that it is a "mean word" and we shouldn't have said it. But if you ask him, "What's the bad word we don't say?" he can tell you. It is pretty funny coming out of his little mouth but I am SO thankful that he has never once used it around others since repeating it that first time. Man, are they little parrots!

One item that he holds dear is his blue blankie that is satin on one side and fleece on the other; he calls it his "nigh night" and HAS to have it to sleep with. We have a backup on hand for when it needs washing. We call him our little Linus. Thankfully, he keeps it in his crib and hasn't been one of those kids that needs to carry it around everywhere, although he will go pull it out if he is hurt, sad, or scared, and cuddle with it. So sweet.

I love my little boy SO very much, and cherish these precious days while he is little. There are days he throws temper tantrums, comes in covered head to toe in dirt and sand, and tears apart the house, when I want to pull my hair out, but I know they are fleeting moments. He is such a blessing and I am so thankful that God trusted us to be his parents.

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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Jay's bday!

As I mentioned, July is our busy birthday month! We celebrated Jay's 32nd bday on July 18th. Jay had to work, and as luck would have it, he was at the front desk. Which made it very easy for Holden and I to pick up these to drop off to him:
Holden was so excited to pick out balloons for Daddy! He chose Nemo, a Cardinals balloon, and an Elmo balloon. I also added in a 3 and a 2. (Jay said they stood for 23 though!) :) He also helped me pick out some trick candles for Jay's cake. When we got in the car, he insisted on holding "Daddy's balloons" the entire way to the sheriff's dept. I was hoping he could breathe behind them, but he was very determined! :)

Now, Jay is not one to like a big deal made about his birthday. He always says, "It's just another day," but of course that doesn't cut it with me. I was raised in the Bourke household, where we just wait for a good reason to pull out the streamers. So we headed in with the balloons and his favorite kind of candies tied to the bottom. He was surprised and a bit sheepish to see us, but he had to smile when Holden yelled, "Here's your balloons, Jay!" (He still calls him by his first name half the time due to hearing it at the softball games each week! The other deputies thought this was hilarious!)

We hung out at the desk with Daddy for awhile and then made a stop at Taco Bell for Jay's lunch request for him and the rest of the staff. You should have seen the look the guy gave me when I ordered 30 tacos. He even asked me at the window, "Do you know that three of those party packs means 30 tacos??" Ha! The balloons ended up going home with us because he was adamant that he did NOT want to carry them with him through downtown Bloomington and the parking garage. To be honest, if I'd had a clue where his car was, they might have been tied to the car. But Holden was so proud of them that I wanted them to make it home in one piece.

After Jay got home from work, his parents and little sister, Allison, and my parents came over for CJ's pizza (yum!) and a Cardinals cookie cake from Mrs. Fields. Jay wanted a low-key evening and it was very nice and laid back. Holden sat in his lap and helped him blow the candles out, and then...well as you can see from the picture, decided he needed to sample some of that red frosting right away! We laughed so hard. He also helped him open his presents: a new hammock and bags game for the backyard, some shorts he wanted and a new shirt, and gift cards to Fiesta Ranchera and Khols. We all helped finish the cake! :)

Here is a group shot of all of us. Yes, Tami and I have the same shirt on, no we didn't plan it! I cracked up when she walked in.

I love you, Jay, and so does Holden. We hope you had a happy bday! Next up: Aunt Allie's 14th bday this Wed!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Summer visitors and Grammy's bday!

July is such a busy month for our family! Not only do we have several important birthdays to celebrate, but it usually marks the time of year that my Aunt Stephanie (Mom's sister) comes to visit from Texas. This year was special because my Uncle Kevin and my cousins, Charlie and Meghan, were able to come too. I haven't seen them in several years, and my cousins had never met Holden. We met up at Avanti's in Peoria for lunch one day. Kevin's mom, Kathleen, lives there so she joined us as well as my Granny. Meghan's boyfriend, Travis, also came and it was great to meet him. He's a very down-t0-earth, funny guy. It was great to visit with everyone! Jay and I hope to make it to Texas in a few years for a longer visit there.

The whole group. Holden actually stayed in his high chair the whole time and behaved very well. Thank you, God!!!!!

Mom's bday was the 15th. My aunt Steph stayed longer than the rest of her family, and we loved having her around that week! On Mom's birthday, the three of us went to Eureka to pick up Granny. We went over to the shops at Washington Square and enjoyed lunch and shopping before heading back to Granny's for one of her yummy home made cakes. It was fun girl's day!

I just realized I included this picture in the collage, but I really like it of the four of us so here it is in large scale version! :)

In the evening, Mom, Dad, Aunt Steph, Jay, Holden, and I went to Chili's for Mom's bday dinner. (The day was all about eating; start to finish! I always say I eat as much in July as during the holidays.) Holden was excited to sit in his booster seat between Grammy and Papa and order a "big kid" cup.

Who needs food when you have a straw to play with?

After dinner, we headed back to my parents' house for our traditional bday cake/ice cream/gift opening time. Dad always decorates the house for Mom's birthday. He had streamers, balloons, and a cake with her name spelled out in candles. It is really sweet how into her birthday he is. He even got her a "Sweet 16" balloon since as he says, she still makes him feel like a teenager. (Aww!) Holden was so excited to sing the "Cake" song as he calls it, and to help her blow out her candles.

The big thrill of the night for Holden were those balloons. He is so easily entertained, and of course my parents are always glad to oblige him!

Hope you had a very happy birthday, Mom! We had fun celebrating with you.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Happy Birthday, Jay/Daddy!

Dear Jay:
Wishing you a wonderful 32nd bday. You mean the world to Holden and me. I love you as a husband, as my son's Daddy, and as my best friend.
Love, Katie

Dear Daddy:
Happy birthday! Thanks for all of the fun stuff you do with me, like paddle boats and living room sleepovers. You are my best buddy. Plus I get my awesome looks mostly from you. I "wuv" you!

Love, Holden (with a little help from Mommy.) :)

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Friday, July 17, 2009

Holden and his girls!

I haven't done a post with Natalie and Corinne in a few weeks, and I feel like using pink and purple today, so here we go! :) Plus they are just such good post material.
Holden and Natalie love "sharing" her Mickey Mouse riding toy. Every now and then they actually do a good job of taking turns pushing each other around, which is very cute. (Or more accurately, Holden remembers to let Natalie have a turn without screaming or yelling, "HEY!" at her!)
I


Holden gets a kick out of some of Natalie's toys that he doesn't have at home. One of his faves is her little pink stroller. He will put a dolly in it and run around the room. To him, it's just another vehicle! I think he looks so cute with it. Besides, real men do pink, right?

Two of my favorite baby girls: 'Lil Miss Natalie Marie showing off her walking skills, and Corinne Paige in all her infant cuteness.


Split shot! I love the picture of Natalie on the left. I don't care how much she may look like her Daddy (which is a good thing, Ryan, I'm just saying...) this is her Mommy and Grammy's scrunched up grin here! Holden loves eating at Natalie's house because he can play the "throw the food to the dog" game. Zoe is happy to oblige.

Ummmm, can we say CUTE?! Corinne is really filling out, and I love her chubby little cheeks and the sweet smile she is starting to grace us with. She makes the best little coos and babbling noises, too.


LOVE this picture! She knows she's a stinker! My guess here is she's either a) planning to spit up on Mom's shoulder, b)planning a mad diaper blowout, or c) thinking of how she's going to stay up late tonight!

Talking to Mommy

Do you see Julie Chen in the background? Yes, it's that time again! An 11th season of that ridiculous, mindless, completely guilty pleasure Big Brother has begun! Do you think babies are going to slow us down?! Ha! Although we do thank God for DVR nowadays. The three of us have watched all 11 seasons (I won't calculate how much of my life that means I've wasted) and got together for the premiere episode at Bridget's new house. Corinne got to join us. (Natalie was asleep and Holden is not part of the "girl's club" so he was home with Daddy!) Mainly because he would never sit and be quiet so we could enjoy it! :)


Holden adores both of "his girls" and had a bonding day with Corinne while Nattie was napping. I just adore the pictures I got of the two of them together! They are so precious!
I could seriously eat them with a spoon for dessert. They are that yummy!

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Don't want to leave out my Nattie Girl. A girl after my own heart, she is a big fan of mealtimes! Here is a collage dedicated to her snack time. :)

"Aunt Bridgie" with the three amigos. Sorry I cut your head off, Bridget! Note Holden insisted on wearing a bib because Natalie was. Do you think he wears them for me at home? NOOOO

I just added this one because he's cute. And I love him to pieces. And it's my blog. :)

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